Archenemy and Adventurer
by DQueenie13
Summary: After ending the cycle of wars between the Human and Demon realms, Hero, Demon Queen, and Female Knight are taken to another world as a reward for their efforts. This new world is the world of Theldesia, the setting of the MMO Elder Tale, where an event known as the Catastrophe trapped the game's players within that very world. What will happen when Demon Queen and Shiroe meet?
1. Chapter 1

_Note: This fic will mention events from the ending of the Maoyu light novels/manga, which the anime didn't cover. So naturally there will be major spoilers for anime-only watchers who are for some reason waiting for a Maoyu Season 2._

* * *

Four months had passed since the May Revolution. Or, as the Adventurers called it, the Catastrophe. Few of them meandered over to this small, humble village, although they usually cleared out the weak monsters that infested the area.

Inside a modest-sized house, a young woman with crimson hair and ruby-colored eyes sat in a large chair, with papers in either hand. Two piles sat on the floor next to her; one for papers she already read, the other for the unread ones. Even more were strewn about the large table that was placed near the center of the room. After contemplating the contents of one, she sighed and placed it down on the small table to her side before standing up.

"Is there something annoying in the letter, Demon Queen?" A blonde-haired woman with her hair in a thick braid piped up as she stepped out of a bedroom and into the common area. She was dressed in fine armor, befitting of a decorated commander.

"There's just _so many of them!_ " The woman known as Demon Queen snarled, casting an ugly glance at the papers that had taken over her room. "They're endless! Are we _really_ in a small, remote village, Female Knight?!"

She chuckled. "This reminds me of the old days, back in the small village where you and Hero started off in."

The Demon Queen smiled wistfully. "That's right… Old days, you say… I wonder how everyone else is doing now."

"They're all brave and smart people. I'm sure they're fine."

"I miss them."

"I do, too."

The two stood in silence for a moment before Female Knight spoke up again. "So, what was the letter about?"

"It was from the researcher, Li Gan, that we met two months earlier. Some of our accomplishments seem to have interested him immensely."

"We _did_ save this village from an intense monster attack. What were they called again, Goblins? And Sahuagin?"

"That's right. They weren't very 'high-leveled,' so you and Hero could fight them off easily, but…"

"There was an awfully large amount that time. I'd say it was like facing the Holy Key Expeditionary Force all over again, with those numbers."

"But without their musket advantage."

"Yeah, but the people here—the 'People of the Earth'—are too weak to fend for themselves, too. All of the soldier types were guarding the big cities. Your tactics kept the villages safe, so Hero and I could fight the monsters off without fearing for their safety."

"I learned a lot from Young Engineer," she smiled. "Those angled walls kept Gateway City safe for more than a week, even under heavy cannon fire."

"And pouring boiling water on them to delay their advance?"

"Well, I guess I came up with that one. It's quite plentiful here, after all," she said with a nod, looking out the window at the stream close to the house. "Luckily, there was a young Adventurer who could create fire for us to keep on boiling water. And the villagers didn't protest at all when I came up with my strategy. It's only because of their cooperation that the walls were built so quickly."

* * *

At that moment, the front door opened, and a young man with short, messy brown hair stumbled in.

"Hero!" Demon Queen cried indignantly. "What took you so long?!"

"Sorry, sorry! One villager asked me to help her split logs, and then another elderly man, the one who lost all his grandkids to monsters, asked me to draw up some well water… and then there was the girl who wanted me to help her find her kitten… And then I went to do some more combat training…"

"HERO!"

"Without me?!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I really, truly am!"

The two women sighed. No matter how many years had passed, he was always the same. As a "Hero," it had been his duty to slay the Demon King and save humanity from the demons. His whole life, he lived a lonely existence, reviled by demons who saw him as a murderer and distrusted by humans who believed him to be a human weapon. As a result, he came to believe that he needed to sacrifice himself for the sake of humanity, to allow others to live happily in spite of himself.

His experiences with the Demon Queen changed that viewpoint, but old habits die hard, as the three of them learned. He was always running off and doing things without telling anybody. Even with his original "purpose" accomplished, and freed from the system that had ensured his and Demon Queen's death and reincarnation, he was always being a hero that helped those in need.

Even in this new world, where everything was different from before.

"How did combat training go?" Female Knight was a bit huffy that he had trained without his usual combat partner.

"Well, I was mostly just looking at the 'menu screen.' Unlike in the old world, even my powers aren't capable of killing all the monsters on my own. I'm definitely weaker than I used to be. Which," he added, scratching his head, "isn't really a _bad_ thing, if that makes sense."

"What a bizarre world we've ended up in," Demon Queen muttered. "Our abilities are determined by our 'Class,' which is unchangeable, while additional abilities can be added with our 'Subclass,' which can be changed given the appropriate circumstances. Food cannot be prepared without a person with 'Chef' as their subclass, and food prepared through the 'menu' is like eating bland boiled potatoes. And I've had enough of _that_."

"The distinction between 'Adventurers' like ourselves and the 'People of the Earth' also pesky," Female Knight commented. "The villagers cannot defend themselves from monsters for very long, if at all. I suppose it's not unlike our world, where normal soldiers and knights would have to undergo at least months of regular training to enter the battlefield."

"But according to the village elder, the 'People of the Earth' gain levels very slowly, whereas Adventurers gain it at a much faster pace and thus become stronger faster."

"And on top of that, Adventurers are immortal, huh?"

"They revive in the Cathedral," Hero interjected. "He said the closest one is in Akihabara."

"Akihabara… Isn't that…?"

"Yes." The slight furrow in the Demon Queen's eyebrows showed that she was processing all of the information she knew. "It's where the 'Round Table Alliance' was formed. Headed by the Adventurer known as Berkserker Krusty—"

"—Isn't he the one who led the Goblin Extermination expedition? It's thanks to them that the Goblin threat was suppressed," Female Knight added.

"Yes, he is. But if what Sage Li Gan says is true, there's another man behind this Round Table Alliance."

"Another man?" Hero glanced at the letter that Demon Queen retrieved from a small pile on the dinner table in the common area.

"He is an Archmage known as 'Shiroe.' Sage Li Gan wrote to me that I would be interested in meeting him."

"And this Sage Li Gan wanted to meet us here today?"

"That's why we've dressed up." Female Knight glared daggers at the casually-dressed Hero, who wore his normal tunic with trousers and work boots.

"I-I'm just a country bumpkin!" He protested. "I'm not fit for dressing up!"

This only angered Female Knight even more. "And you think _I'm_ some sort of fancy-pancy noblewoman who dresses up all the time?!"

"No, no! It's not that! Not that at all!" Hero stammered for words. "I-i-it's just that you and Demon Queen are much better at talking than I am! If there's negotiations, all I know is fighting and violence! If you're talking with a Sage, this is definitely outside my area of expertise!"

"This is _not_ my—"

Demon Queen placed a hand on Female Knight's shoulder. "It's alright, Female Knight. This 'country bumpkin' can do all of the menial tasks while we converse with our guest. Hero, get some firewood so that Female Knight can prepare some tea before he arrives."

"Yes, I understand…"

* * *

After Hero meekly went out the back door, Demon Queen smoothed out the pristine white tablecloth on the dining table. It was a bit inadequate, but the dining room was the best place for them to receive guests, so it would have to do. All she could do now was wait. Even though Li Gan had mentioned his intentions of discussing "world history" with her, she honestly had no knowledge about this world at all.

After all, she did not originate from the same world that the other Adventurers came from. That much was clear after exchanging a few words with other "true" Adventurers that passed through the area. Although those Adventurers may have believed that she was just excessively naïve, it wasn't something she could hide for very long in a thorough discussion. Such a weakness was never good in negotiations. As she had never met Li Gan herself, she couldn't determine whether his actions were out of mere curiosity or if he had hidden intentions.

Only their meeting would answer her questions.

* * *

A mere ten minutes later, which felt like an eternity to her, they heard a couple of sharp raps on the door, followed by an inquisitive "Helloooooo?" Another male voice reprimanded the first, saying something about "being suspicious."

"I'll get the door," Hero said. After he opened the door, at the entryway stood three figures, not one. A man with short, unruly brown hair and disheveled clothes stood in the front, followed by a tall, black-haired, bespectacled man in a blue uniform. A young, but serious-looking girl with long dark blue hair dressed in what was likely the female version of the uniform stood by the second man's side.

The first man spoke. "I'm terribly sorry about the sudden change in my arrival." He fidgeted his fingers as if he were nervous, but the grin on his face didn't seem nervous at all. "I am the Sage of Miral Lake, Li Gan. Accompanying me is Master Shiroe and his guard, Miss Akatsuki."

Shiroe spoke up. "I heard rumors about a 'Crimson Scholar' living in a remote village, and Li Gan informed me that he had exchange a couple of letters with you. If you wouldn't mind, I would like to share information with you."

* * *

 _Chapter Notes:_ This was a fic idea I've been wanting to write for a while now. There's not enough Maoyu fan fiction out there, and by that I mean that there's basically none (at least for the English fandom).

Because our Maoyu crossover characters (Hero, Demon Queen, and Female Knight) didn't have avatars from the game world, and instead had ones 'created' when they entered this world, their Classes are ones that best fit their role in their original world. As a result, their Classes don't necessarily exist on the Japanese server. Female Knight, for example, probably will have either the Paladin (Samurai) or Templar (Cleric) unique class that belongs to the Western European server. Demon Queen is an Enchanter, without a doubt. Hero will probably be a Guardian or a Paladin.

I haven't abandoned _Let's Go Adventuring, Okay?_ either. I'm in the middle of writing the next chapter! Trying to get into the characters' heads is a bit tough, though. Hopefully it'll be easier, since Rayneshia has a bit of focus in volumes 3 and 4 and I just got volume 4 yesterday.


	2. Chapter 2

"I heard rumors about a 'Crimson Scholar' living in a remote village, and Li Gan informed me that he had exchange a couple of letters with you," the man named Shiroe said. "If you wouldn't mind, I would like to share information with you."

Demon Queen surveyed the Round Table Alliance representative before her. _Is he human? Or… Wait, shouldn't the menu tell us? How do we open it again?_

"Ahem." Female Knight's voice cut into her thoughts, jolting her slightly. Their guests just stood at the doorway, unsure what to do during her silence. She glanced at Female Knight abashedly, and Female Knight winked back. "We'll be glad to have you."

Demon Queen curtsied hastily. "Where have my manners gone? Please, come in. We have tea ready for you. Right, Hero?"

"Yup, all ready, Demon Queen!" He gave her his usual confident thumbs-up, then beckoned them inside. "After you!"

* * *

After they had all taken their seats at the table, Demon Queen carefully surveyed her guests' positions. The two parties were sitting at opposite sides of the table. She sat in the middle, across from Shiroe. To his right sat the girl Akatsuki, and on his left, Sage Li Gan.

She'd managed to figure out how to open the menu again, and took a glance at their status screens. Shiroe was a Half-Alv Enchanter, which was the same class she possessed. His subclass was Scribe. If he was anything like the people she knew in her own world, this indicated that not only was he literate, he probably kept many records on hand and was thus quite knowledgeable about the world.

One thing she would have to work out in their discussion, however, was this "Half-Alv" race they both possessed. It seemed that among the Adventurer races, there was none like what she had in her own world, and so she had been sorted into a "Half-Alv" where her companions remained "Human." All she had gathered thus far was that the People of the Earth were fearful of Half-Alvs. Hero had reported to her, after their arrival to the village, that some of the villagers had asked if it was truly okay for her to be among them due to her race. (Her name hadn't helped matters much, either, though a village elder reassured her that it was among the "more normal" Adventurer names he had encountered in his lifetime.)

Meanwhile, Akatsuki was a Human Assassin. An Adventurer of the same class had stopped by in the area some weeks ago, and it seemed that true to their name, Assassins specialized in concentrated damage and speed, but were also quite frail. However, in this world, the name "Assassin" did not mean they necessarily worked as hitmen, and so Demon Queen felt no need to be particularly wary of an assassination attempt. Her subclass was Tracker, however, so perhaps she _was_ a true assassin? It sounded like she was good at locating targets, if the name was any indication.

Li Gan, the man who had contacted her, was an Elf. His class was quite unusual; it was listed as Lore Master, which she had never encountered among any of the Adventurers. His status screen was also significantly less detailed than Shiroe's or Akatsuki's, an indication that he was a Person of the Earth.

A Scribe and a Lore Master. There was no doubt that these two were very knowledgeable about this world, and while that was on one hand a relief, it brought another set of troubles. She, Hero, and Female Knight were not of the same world as the other Adventurers that came because of the "May Revolution." They had come to discuss this world and trade information, but her knowledge about this world was severely lacking. There was little doubt that many of the terms they would throw at her would completely fly over her head, and that was never a good thing.

So when Shiroe began the discussion with a question, Demon Queen was completely unsurprised when she found herself digging for an answer.

* * *

When the door to the small house opened, and its three inhabitants stepped out, Shiroe immediately began analyzing them from their gear. The man who opened the door wore casual clothes, so it wasn't particularly indicative of his actual capabilities. However, the sword he carried at his waist looked to be powerful gear, even if he couldn't recognize it, and it was clear even from where it sat in its sheath that it was well-maintained. Actually, all three of them wore clothes unfit for the battlefield, so there was little doubt that they had dressed up for the occasion.

After a bit of an awkward silence—the red-haired woman, whose name in this world was "Demon Queen," seemed to be concentrating on something, though he was unsure what—they were welcomed inside. They were led to a table in what would be a dining room, where there were four chairs gathered around it. _Right, they probably weren't expecting Akatsuki to come with me_.

The man, whose name was "Hero," hastily pulled up a cleanly-cut log and asked Akatsuki if she was alright with sitting on it. She had no problem with it and promptly sat on it Japanese-style, to the slight curiosity of their hosts. The blonde-haired woman, "Female Knight," informed them that she would be brewing tea for them. He took a glance at her status screen, and she was indeed a Chef. She was likely one of many who changed to that subclass after the discovery that Chefs could prepare flavorful food.

Demon Queen stared intently ahead, making him panic slightly in worry that she was mentally dissecting him, only to realize that she was likely looking at his status screen. Nowadays, it was common to be "introduced" by your status screen—you didn't even need to ask a person for their in-world name, or to know what kind of role they played in battle. You just glanced at their status screen.

He peeked at hers in return. Another level 90 Half-Alv Enchanter, with the subclass of Demon King. Very oddly befitting her name, but Shiroe couldn't get a proper analysis of her abilities from it. Demon King was a purely role-playing subclass, granting not a single combat benefit. At most, people with the subclass received gifts from "Papa Demon King" who doted on them, and maybe some mild negotiation bonuses. However, it was nothing particularly noteworthy and was an unpopular subclass as a result. While Shiroe couldn't claim to know _every_ Enchanter on the Yamato server, he was sure that the name of another Half-Alv Enchanter with such an unusual subclass would surely have reached his ears during the game era. Yet he never knew of her existence until Li Gan informed him of her.

He checked Female Knight's status again. A level 90 Human Templar. That was… not a class that existed in Yamato. It was one of the Western European server's exclusive classes and replaced the Cleric class. While he couldn't say that someone from that server _wouldn't_ be on the Yamato server, usually for the 48 hours surrounding expansion pack releases, all players would be forcefully returned to their original game region until each server got their expansion update. It would explain, however, how another Half-Alv Enchanter with such a unique subclass escaped his notice; she didn't even come from the same server.

 _Perhaps they took a Fairy Ring immediately after the Catastrophe… It wouldn't be impossible for other servers—or should I say continents?—to be in a state of chaos._

Shiroe mulled over possibilities before checking Hero's status to see if it lent anything to his theory. Hero was a level 90 Human Paladin, yet another Western European server unique class. It replaced the Pirate class, or on the Yamato server, the Samurai class. He had the Brave Hero subclass, a Special Title subclass that was unpopular anyways for having rather middling abilities.

Their party didn't seem to have any weapon-attack class, and with a small traveling group of three people, they did not seem to be connected to any other group if they were living in an outskirt village. None of their subclasses provided any substantial benefit in combat. At the moment, none of them were in combat gear so he could not account for any equipment stats. Yet, on more or less their own, they managed to defend a town from a large swarm of monsters without any known help from the group at Choushi. They were at a significantly higher level than the goblins and sahuaguin, but even then, dealing with large mobs would still be very difficult, especially if the intention was to protect a town from being overrun.

Maybe the Western European server had learned some new tricks that hadn't yet been discovered in Yamato? Li Gan was right; this would provide an interesting discussion. But first, he had to make sure his suspicions were correct.

He cleared his throat slightly before speaking. "If this isn't too intrusive, may I ask if you came from the Western European server?"

* * *

 _This was exactly the kind of question I was afraid of…_

Western European server, Shiroe had stated. From the world map that had been sent to her by Li Gan, she couldn't remember any such location name. Currently, they were in Yamato, a tiny island off the continent of Eureddo. There was the Land of Wen, to the far west on the world map, separated from Eureddo by a large stretch of ocean. Theoretically, if you headed east from Yamato, you could reach Eureddo as well by crossing the Athirds Ocean.

But "Western European" was completely foreign to her, as was the term "server." The only definition that matched her idea of a server was a person who literally served food or drink, but this was clearly not the meaning which Shiroe spoke of. He asked if she "came from" the Western European server, so clearly it was a region of some sort.

Before she could try and come up with a response, however, Li Gan butt in.

"Master Shiroe and I are very curious, of course, about the strategy you devised to defend this town. As you must know, we People of the Earth are limited in our combat ability. I am capable enough of defending myself from human attackers, but monsters are another realm that I couldn't possibly face up against. But it seems that the three of you here came up with a strategy that repelled a large amount of the demi-humans during the Return of the Goblin King."

Demi-humans. Goblin King. More terms that she didn't completely understand, but the strategy was simple enough for her to explain. Hopefully that could distract from Shiroe's other question.

"The strategy we employed was simple enough. As you may have noticed when you entered, we built tall, thick sloping walls around the perimeter. Those we began building even before the saturation attack of monsters, due to occasional monster attacks in the village. The monsters, unable to cut through the walls, would be forced to climb up," she explained as she gestured with her hands, mimicking the scenario.

"To delay their advance," Female Knight continued, "we poured boiling water down the sides of the wall, causing the monsters to lose their grip. A Sorcerer who took refuge in the village at the time used Fire magic to boil water from the stream nearby when he wasn't helping to fight the monsters himself. Then, with the monsters distracted, Hero and I were better able to take them down. Demon Queen used some of her spells to keep the monsters debilitated longer, or to provide more mana to the Sorcerer."

Shiroe placed a hand on his chin as he muttered to himself. "Hmm… Sounds like a combination of the Freezer and Mana Transfer strategies. A Freezer build doesn't sound like it would be effective on so many targets… However, by distracting the monsters without using up MP for spells, it allows them maximize their spell efficiency… It also puts the otherwise-defenseless villagers to work in protecting the town, as well, leading to an overall increase in efficiency…"

He looked back up, turning his gaze to Demon Queen. "It was certainly an effective tactic, but how did you know that the monsters would be debilitated by the boiling water?"

"It was mostly a wild guess," she confessed. "Well, they screech when they die or are attacked, so doesn't that mean they can feel pain? That was the reasoning I went on. Besides, the force of the water would be enough to at least knock a goblin or two down the walls and reduce their grip on the wall."

He seemed satisfied with the answer, and jotted some more notes down as Li Gan asked another question.

"I've thoroughly researched the magic in this world, and I have been quite curious about any potential new magic from other continents. There are many records of Adventurers undertaking grand quests and raids in search of strong enemies and monsters to fight. Have you heard of any potential new phenomenon occurring since the May Revolution? As a magical researcher of Miral Lake, I'm always researching such phenomenon, you see."

Demon Queen took a deep breath.

Revealing sensitive information about herself, Hero, and Female Knight was dangerous, since she had no idea how the other party would react. But at the rate things were proceeding, she wasn't sure if she'd already tipped that hand.

 _I don't care what you tell them,_ Female Knight had told her when she decided to agree to the meeting. _Figuring out these sorts of negotiations are your specialty._

 _Don't worry about the worst that could happen,_ Hero continued. _We'll protect you if need be!_

She released the breath that she held, which caught the attention of their guests.

"Master Li Gan… Master Shiroe," she began. "I must admit something. Perhaps you already know this by now. It may be glaringly obvious, even. But the three of us—myself, Hero, and Female Knight—are not from the world which the 'Adventurers' come from."

Shiroe frowned slightly, but it wasn't a frown of anger or disgust; rather, it was one of deep thought and contemplation. Demon Queen wasn't sure if this revelation had sparked something in his mind, but she continued. "In other words, we are completely foreign to this world. We lack basic knowledge that is common knowledge to the Adventurers and People of the Earth. Forgive our naivete, but I'm afraid our knowledge would be of little use."

After a slight pause, Shiroe spoke up. "No, it's far from little use. In fact, that very naivete may be very useful for finding out more about this world."


End file.
